


PJO Secret Santa- "That'd Be Nice" Solangelo Oneshot.

by Pres310



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-25 21:40:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17129222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pres310/pseuds/Pres310
Summary: Happy Holidays! This was written for the PJO Secret Santa on tumblr for @the-queerest-of-the-mall





	PJO Secret Santa- "That'd Be Nice" Solangelo Oneshot.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays! This was written for the PJO Secret Santa on tumblr for @the-queerest-of-the-mall

Passing out by a rock formation aside, Nico’s day had been pretty wild.

 

The afternoon was cool, with a dry, late-autumn wind rattling the trees and filling the camp with the scents of hot chocolate and the woods. Crisp, Ruby-red and Jasper-orange leaves were dragged through the paths by the breeze, and Nico was waiting (albeit, a bit begrudgingly) in the infirmary, the faint taste of ambrosia still on his tongue. Sterile, white Bandages were wrapped around his left hand, coppery-red stains bleeding through to the other side. The son of Hades had taken to tying his Raven-hued curls back, as a few stray strands had continually and annoyingly bounced into his face.

“Hey, Neeks,” Will Solace entered the room, greeting his friend with a slight wave. Nico silently waved back, a slight grin flickering onto his face.

“How’ve you been doing?” Will asked, opening a pale grey cabinet and quickly flicking through the contents.

Nico scoffed. “I mean I did just accidentally lose a layer of skin, but I’m doing just fine,” he sarcastically replied, resting his arm on his knee. Will rolled his eyes, playfully and softly hitting Nico on the shoulder.

“You know what I meant, dork,” he chuckled, locking eyes with Nico just a moment. Will found them absolutely stunning; dark, ebony black-brown eyes framed with long, thick, curling eyelashes, freckles dancing around them like stars. They had a sort of unearthly beauty to them, like a colorful smattering of solar systems in the middle of a galaxy. 

Of course, not that he’d ever have the guts to tell Nico that. Best friends or not, the shorter, ghostly boy still had a bit of an intimidating energy to him.

The pair fell into an awkward silence as Will went back to organizing the cabinet, Nico glancing to him every once in a while. He faintly hummed, mostly just to keep everything from lapsing into silence- ever since he had been to Tartarus, the demons from that pit still began to hiss in his ears whenever silence fell upon him.  
Will glanced back at Nico, briefly, before a realization began to dawn on him. Swearing under his breath, he finally closed the cabinet, turning to Nico with cotton rounds a dull, brown bottle in hand.

“If you don't mind, I need to check your hand again,” Will said, waiting for Nico to hold out his hand. Something he definitely learned after knowing the other boy for so long was that Nico despised most physical contact. Calmly and gently unwrapping the bandages, Will couldn't help but notice how cold the other boy’s hands were. Just like his face, they had the occasional patch of pale, fading freckles- though, the fact that the pale young man had accidentally lost a rather large patch of skin during training probably didn't help with the slight fading.

“How does that even happen…” Will trailed off, not yet realizing that he had spoken out loud.

“At this point, I don't exactly remember,” Nico quietly replied. Though the hydrogen peroxide stung his skin, and he hated to admit it, the warmth of Will’s hand against his own felt nice, and for a fleeting moment he suppressed the urge to intertwine his fingers with Will’s.  
Will curtly laughed, going back to the cabinet in search of new bandages. Glancing to the son of Apollo, Nico noticed the way his shirt lifted slightly whenever he had to reach upwards for the supplies. Turning away, Nico tried to hide the faint red flush on his face.

“After I replace the bandages, you’re free to go, Di Angelo,” Will grinned, beginning to wrap the other’s hand. “The bleeding has mostly stopped, but the wound is still fresh and you’ll need to keep the bandages on for another few days- if it looks infected, it probably is, and please tell me about it,” he finished, pulling himself up to sit on the counter. Nico dragged himself off of the bleach- white cot, walking towards the exit. Just before he could leave, Will suddenly perked up.

“Hey, Neeks!” He chimed in. Hand still on the doorknob, Nico briefly turned back, eyebrow raised. Trying to keep his nerves down, Will smiled at the other boy. “I was wondering if you wanted to hang out a bit after the bonfire tonight.”

A rare smile fluttered onto Nico’s features. “Of course, Sunshine,” he replied. As soon as Nico uttered the word ‘Sunshine’, a million butterflies suddenly seemed to float around Will’s stomach. Nico’s mind was yelling at him to just leave already, internally smacking himself for even thinking to call his friend Sunshine. 'You know what you feel, and you're running away from it again,' his brain hissed.

“Great- same place as always?” Will asked. Nico nodded, slipping out of the door. Will watched him leave, sighing. 'Gods above, You're hopeless.'

 

*.*.*

 

Campers began to disperse from the fire, the sun having already set. The crimson flames began to die down, the white-hot center slowly cooling and taking on color. Stars twinkled in the sky above, the moon full and bright. The winds had picked up, whistling through the cabins and howling high above. The few campers that were home for the autumn season had already begun to settle in their cabins, but Nico was waiting on the porch of his cabin, eyes scanning through the thinning crowd. Finally, he spotted a mess of blonde hair and a pair of Sky-blue eyes.

“Took you long enough,” Nico playfully muttered, holding open the door to his cabin and watching for any Security Harpies.

“Thank you, sir” Will exaggerated, earning a chuckle from Nico. While Will tried sitting on the end of the bed, Nico ended up flopping down on the side; unfortunately, he miscalculated, and his head ended up hitting Will’s thigh, with Will coming close to accidentally falling off.

“Oh gods, I'm sorry-” Nico winced, clutching the back on his head. Will silently laughed, shaking his head.

“It's fine, really,” Will cut in. Nico slowly- and awkwardly- sat up, resting an arm and his chin on top of his knee.

“So- how’re things going at the infirmary?” Nico asked. Will’s smile flickered out as he uneasily breathed in, body tensing.

“Not the best- one of our patients was bitten by something in the woods,” Will paused, thinking of how to phrase what he was going to say next. “She reacted really badly to the antivenom we had, and when we couldn't find the ambrosia…” the realization dawned on Nico, the very little color he had draining from his face.

“Oh, gods, Will, I-” he stuttered; Nico would most definitely admit he was horrible with comforting people. Will simply shook his head.

“She’s not dead, and we found the ambrosia, but…” he took in a rattling breath. “I don't know if she’ll make it through the next week.” Nico gently set a hand on his friend’s shoulder, scooting a bit closer.

“I'm so sorry, sunshine,” he whispered, “You did what you could.” Will slightly leaned into the touch, appreciating the gesture. A bout of silence filled the room, being more sorrowful and comfortable than awkward. Will leaned forward, holding his face in his hands. Nico leaned forward with him.

“Are you okay?” He whispered. Will simply shook his head, now only resting his forehead in his hands.

“I could have done something to save her, Nico. If I’d just-”

“Will. You did everything you could, this isn't your fault,” Silence, once again. Many of the other campers were close to falling asleep by now, but the two boys remained awake. For a while, they simply sat in the quiet air, the only noise being the faint sound of their breathing. Nico glanced once more at Will- his aquamarine eyes were brimming with tears, his breathing shaky. Nico silently moved his hand from Will’s shoulder, intertwining his fingers with the other’s. Will glanced down at his hand, a faint smile flickering to life on his face.

“Thanks for being there, Neeks,” Will said as he blinked back tears, shaking his head.

“No problem,” Nico responded, his voice barely louder than the sound of the dying wind outside. Once again, a pause fell between the two, one full of tension, though not uncomfortable. The two boys locked eyes once more, both strangely chuckling the tiniest bit.

“I guess-” Will, much to his surprise, was interrupted by a pair of lips meeting his. For a moment, he was so shocked, he stayed frozen- before, of course, remembering the situation. He closed his eyes, leaning into the kiss. Nico’s lips, strangely, had a faint, sweet tinge of pomegranate to them, causing Will to deepen the kiss a bit more. Nico detangled his hand from Will’s, instead gently settling it on the back of the other boy’s neck. Finally, after remembering that they had to breath, they pulled away just a bit. Both of them had a significant reddish-pink hue to their face, and they simply looked at each other for a moment as Nico’s hand shakily came away from Will’s neck. Panic began to well up in Nico, regret instantly settling in alongside it. 'What have you done, what have you done, what have you DONE-'

“I-I’m sorry, Will, I didn't mean to-”

“No, Nico, it's fine-”

“No, it's not,” Nico tightly clutched his head in his hands as he walked out the door, cold air hitting him instantly. His thoughts screamed and raced around in his head like horses on a track, and he was unable to hear Will as Nico went off into the woods, picking up speed as he went. Blindly he ran, ignoring the squawks and shrieks of security harpies, or the underbrush that ripped at his ankles. Soon, he found himself near the infamous rock the camp had nicknamed “Zeus’s Fist”, his knees giving out on him then. He crumpled against the stone, catching his breath. He tried to calm his thoughts, rocking back and forth and trying to keep his mind on anything else.

'He hates you now.'

'You just ruined your only friendship.'

'He’ll never forgive you.'

Nico covered his ears as though to shield himself from his own mind, though it didn't work. Curling up, he decided that the only way to get them to stop was to force himself to sleep. Shutting his eyes tight, Nico forced himself to think about anything and everything until exhaustion took over.

 

*.*.*

 

Nico’s dream was strange in the fact that he could immediately tell that it wasn't real. He found himself in a sort of Performing Arts Center; the walls were painted with murals of sapphire birds, Emerald treetops, and Quartz clouds that swirled around wistfully. The seats were all white marble, with soft, gold silk seats. The “stage” was a large circle in the center of the floor, with the doors and seats surrounding it, the floor a large mosaic of colorful tiles. The ceiling was a large sun made of gold and aquamarine, with a bright, glass skylight that was surrounded by gold panels of swirling rays of sunlight. Naturally, Nico felt uncomfortable in the strange, glittering place, and even though it was almost empty, he heavily disliked being center-stage.

“I don't think I've ever met someone who found the Opera Hall so unappealing- what a shame, really,” a silky voice sounded out from behind Nico. He winced, chills running down his spine like a cold crow’s talon.

“What do you want, Aphrodite?” Nico turned around to face the goddess. One moment, her hair seemed to be a short cloud of corn-yellow curls, her eyes a deep, orchid blue. Then, suddenly, for a fleeting second, her hair turned to deep, brown, beachy waves, her eyes taking on a more seaglass-green tint. The goddess simply laughed, summoning a prop chair next to her.

“Oh, it's quite simple, actually- Apollo sent me,” she said, sleekly taking a seat in the old chair. Nico’s own words caught in his throat, his whole body going cold. He hardly even noticed the chair next to him.

“It's fine to be nervous in the face of moi, mon chère, but I don't see why you had to run away from that Will Solace boy,” she purred. The chair seemed to lurch forward, catching the back of Nico’s knees and forcing him to sit. 

“I had a perfectly good reason to, and I don't see why Apollo would even care,” Nico protested, gesturing with his hands (a very particular habit of his). Aphrodite raised her eyebrows, smiling thinly.

“Are you sure about that, young one?” Aphrodite leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. “Because I can tell what you're thinking, and let me tell you,” she threw her head back laughing, “That boy is simply hopelessly into you; you nearly gave him a heart attack with that kiss!” Nico uncomfortably scooted his chair back, wanting to just wake up already. 

“Why should I believe you?”

Aphrodite’s laughing ceased, her smile gone in an instant. “Are you really challenging the actual Goddess of Love on this, Di Angelo?” 

“I'm not challenging you, I'm wondering why I should believe you- I have no reason to believe that Will would ever…” Nico couldn't say the final words, no matter how hard he tried. 

Aphrodite let out a mix of a sigh and a groan, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Now I see why I never hear about you from Persephone, dear me-” she raised her hand, the scene around them beginning to fade, her voice taking on an even deeper echo.

“Tomorrow, when Annabeth wakes you up, and she tells you to meet up with Will, don't argue, alright? I’ll show you just how right I am.”

 

*.*.*

 

“He’s not waking up, do you think-” the voices around him faded in and out of clarity as Nico slowly awoke, groaning as he stretched out his legs.

“Oh, gods above, you're finally up,” a voice said, sounding incredibly relieved.

“Annabeth?” Nico groggily muttered, uneasily trying to stand up. He saw a blurry hand reach out, and he gladly took the help.

“Hey, I'm here too,” another voice said. Goddamnit, Percy, Nico mentally complained.

“Thanks for helping me up, you absolute buffoon,” Nico deadpanned, glaring at Percy directly in the eyes. Percy simply rolled his eyes in response.

“Are you alright, Nico? Will said something happened last night and that he wanted to talk to you about it today, but he couldn't find you and-”

“I'm fine, Annabeth,” Nico said, suddenly startled awake by her words. “Why did Will want to talk to me?”

Annabeth glanced at Percy, nervously chewing on the inside of her lip. “I think it's best if you go talk to him yourself,” she lowered her voice. Percy cocked his head to the side, confused.

“Is there something I'm missing?” Percy asked as Nico started In the direction of the camp. He briefly turned to Percy, walking backwards.

“I’ll tell you later, Perc,” Nico began to rush off, only quietly hearing Annabeth’s voice behind him.

“He’s at the edge of the forest, by the Artemis cabin!” She called out, only receiving a thumbs-up in response.

Nico’s joints were still cramped and sore from his running the night before, along with his uncomfortable sleeping position. It took him awhile to find it, but, finally, at the top of the tallest tree behind the silvery cabin, sat a familiarly handsome face.

“Mind if I join you up there?” Nico asked. Will visibly jumped at the sudden sound, clearly yelping.

“I thought you’d never come, death boy,” Will called down to his friend, a smile stretching across his features. Nico, with some difficulty, climbed his way up to Will’s branch, skeletal butterflies flapping erratically around in his stomach.

“Well, I couldn't pass up the chance,” Nico said, before noticing the pink tinge to Will’s shoulders that clearly wasn't blush. He scoffed. “Nice sunburn, by the way.”

Will ruffled Nico’s hair, secretly admiring how soft it was. “Nice bedhead, dork,” Nico, to Will’s pleasant surprise, seemingly squeaked in faux-offense.

“At least my bedhead is actually admirable- your hair looks like a mess,” Nico joked, ruffling Will’s hair in return. They both chuckled, revelling in the familiarity of the scene.

“So… about last night,” Will nervously confided. Nico shifted uncomfortably, laughing in an attempt to clear the air. Finally, he looked to his right- Will was sitting with his left leg crossed over his right, his hand lightly brushing against Nico’s. 

“Look, Will, I'm so sorry about what I did, I-I just-”

“It was good.”

“I don't know what I was thinking, and-” Nico paused, finally realizing what he’d said. “W-What?” Will couldn't help but laugh at his baffled friend. Nico’s mouth hung open in shock, his stuttering barely discernible. 

“I said it was good, Nico. You don't need to apologize,” Will admitted, setting his arm on Nico’s shoulder. Nico leaned away from him, shaking Will’s arm off.

“I just… I thought I ruined our friendship, I really don't know what I was thinking,” Nico rested his head in his other hand, the bandaging somewhat uncomfortable.

“You didn't ruin anything,” Will scooted a bit closer, making eye contact with Nico. A small grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. “I really like you, Nico.”

Nico took a moment to respond, his shaking hands resting on his chest in shock, his heart going a mile a minute. The skeletal butterflies that once rested in his stomach now fluttered around his chest. “I-I really like you too, Will.”

“Wow, I never thought I’d see the ‘Ghost King’ himself get so flustered,” Will jested. Nico’s face flushed a slightly darker rosy hue as he finally stopped stammering.

“Y-you just caught me off-guard, that's all,” Nico sputtered. Will cocked his head to one side, his hand casually intertwining with Nico’s.

“Are you sure about that, Neeks?” He commented. Nico couldn't help but almost double-over laughing at his friend trying to be smooth.

“You're such a dork, Will,” Nico lightly said, his blush finally fading.

“Okay, that I’ll admit to,” Will laughed along with his friend. He hardly even noticed the stinging sunburn he had, now. The two joked for a while, the early-morning sky growing ever bluer. Having been up much earlier than intended, both boys slowly fell into a slight haze of sleepiness that was met with half-hearted conversation and heavy eyelids. Nico leaned into Will’s shoulder, surprisingly comfortable, considering his stance on physical contact. Will softly wrapped an arm around Nico’s waist, hoping the other boy didn't push him away. Much to Will’s delight, he didn't. And so, the two lay there, Will in mild shock at the fact that Nico would even make this much physical contact with anyone, and Nico half asleep.

“This feels incredibly cheesy,” Nico muttered into Will’s sleeve, enjoying the warmth of the other boy against the chilly, autumn morning.

“I think I can make it cheesier,” Nico almost opened his mouth to respond when he was caught up in a sudden, light-as-a-feather kiss, Will’s lips brushing against his for a moment. Nico sat up, gently setting his hand on the back of Will’s neck and deepening the kiss. This time, the kiss was expected and had a sort of rhythm to it. Soon, Will’s hand was tangled in the back of Nico’s thick, black, curly hair, with Nico having to rest on Will’s knee in order to balance comfortably. When they had to finally pull away, Nico rested his forehead against Will’s, the two both grinning like idiots.

“So, what does this make us?” Nico asked. Will chuckled.

“Boyfriends, I would assume,” he said. Nico shook his head, grimacing.

“Don't get me wrong, it's cute, but I honestly hate using that word,” he responded, having to help Will untangle his hand from Nico’s messy hair.

“Would you rather me use ‘Special guy’? ‘Significant Other’? ‘Mutually Queer Romantic Partners’?” Will joked. Nico wheezed from laughing, leaning back on his hands.

“More like significant annoyance, in your case,” Nico muttered. Will rolled his eyes, looking out at the camp. The sun was close to being fully up now, a couple wispy clouds stringing around a blue sky, lined with peach light.

“Y’know, I think I actually have an infirmary shift this morning.”

“I can walk you there.”

Will could hardly sputter out a response at first. Usually, Nico didn't even like to be awake so early, much less being seen out of his cabin before eight A.M.

“T-that’d be delightful,” Will stammered as the two began climbing down the tree branches. The two walked on the old, dusty footpath that lead to the infirmary, both enjoying the subtle warmth from the sun, and Nico enjoying the breeze that continually blew hair into Will’s face. Birds began chattering high in the branches above, and the two boys could hear the sounds of the camp slowly coming awake.

“Can I hold your hand?” Because he didn't want to push Nico’s boundaries. Because he didn't know if he was out yet.

For a fleeting second, an uneasy expression crossed Nico’s face, before he loosely and lightly held Will’s hand. “Sure.”

Soon, the two arrived at the infirmary, Will’s breathing hitching as he heard a certain Daughter of Aphrodite shrieking inside. Nico lightly squeezed his partner’s hand.

“She’ll be okay, sunshine,” Nico tried to comfort Will, to little response. Finally, Will turned to him, placing a light kiss on the back of Nico’s hand, before letting go of it.

“I’ll probably see you at dinner,” Will said as he opened the door. Nico began slowly walking backwards a bit to leave.

“Of course- bye, Sunshine,” Will managed to smile.

“Goodbye, Death Boy.”


End file.
